Digital Access for only $0.99

3. This is the third of three West Coast races for race teams based mostly in North Carolina. It’s a particularly grueling span of the Sprint Cup schedule.

Observations

▪ This track, tucked into an industrial neighborhood in Orange County, doesn’t stand out from the surrounding buildings, which is a rarity for a Sprint Cup venue. The other extreme would be Talladega, which all but pops out of the Alabama countryside.

▪ Sunday’s race is a sell-out of 68,000 seats, another indication one Sprint Cup event each season is the right fit for this track. It used to host two.

▪ Jeff Gordon said Friday he’d eventually like to have a discussion with Chevrolet about a possible management position in their racing operation. Keeping Gordon in the sport as a resource after he retires from driving would be a great move.

Best bets

Three picks for your fantasy team:

Kevin Harvick: He says he’s in a great place as far as interaction with his crew. He gives feedback, rather than orders, then trusts the technical people to make the car fast.

Kurt Busch: Team owner Gene Haas had his back during a recent domestic-abuse investigation, and now Busch is determined to reward that faith with checkered flags.

David Ragan: He was a top-five qualifier and fast in Saturday’s practices, too.

He said it

“Until the pavement starts peeling off and starts chucking over the wall, I don’t think they should ever change it .” – Jeff Gordon on drivers’ resistence to repaving Auto Club Speedway’s driving surface.

N@SCAR

“@rick_bonnell: Multiple reports of bees infesting the XFINITY Series garage at Auto Club Speedway today. That could be a problem.”#Beesnado

Read Next

NASCAR’s oldest Hall of Famer Glen Wood, a legendary driver and car owner who originally started Wood Brothers Racing in 1950, has died at the age of 93, the team announced Friday morning. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2012.